When it comes to backing up the data of your business, cutting out any margin of error is vital. The information stored by businesses, like client databases, lead lists, and project files, is far too valuable to ever allow to be lost. The first step in securing your business’s data is of course is acknowledging you need a backup solution, but it is equally important to pick a solution that fit for your needs. Let’s explore what needs to be considered, and why in most cases, a DIY backup solution just won’t cut it.

Human Error

The core goal of keeping a backup is to protect your data from something like accidental deletion, computer failure, a natural disaster, and whatever else could cause you to lose valuable data. So why put the element of human error back into the equation by picking a DIY backup solution?

A few of the many reasons DIY data backups fail are accidental deletions, incomplete backups, forgetting to update the backup, losing an external hard drive, etc. So how to avoid these risks? Go with a backup solution that is automated. The backup will be run periodically and be done completely digitally. Remove humans from the process all-together.

Backups Needs to be Off-Site

The idea of just keeping an external hard drive or backup server in your office might be appealing for the ease of it. But what happens when your office is robbed, sabotaged by a disgruntled employee, or flooded? Now you’ve lost of your computers, AND your backup.

One of the essential pieces of a solid backup plan is keeping the backup data off-site. With a cloud backup provider, your files will be kept far away in a safe and secure place. There is no reason for your backup data to ever be in the same location as your primary storage.

Expert & Timely Data Restoration

Imagine the worst happens, and some sort of event causes you to lose all of your primary files. Do you now want to scramble to figure out how to restore an entire network of computers, and pray not only that it works, but takes less than a few weeks to get your data back? I am sure you are seeing dollars signs flying out the window with this thought – and this is exactly what would happen with most DIY backup solutions.

Now imagine losing your data, and dialing a number, speaking with someone at your cloud backup provider, and POOF! Within minutes, your computer network is once again populated with your files, exactly how you left it. Which version of this scenario would you rather go through?

Peace of Mind

As every worry-wart knows, peace of mind is priceless. Knowing your business’s files are safe no matter what happens to your or your employee’s computers is the best peace of mind there is. Considering how many small companies go out of business after a major data loss (spoiler alert: it’s a lot), knowing you have a team of experts running automated backups, stored on their secure off-site servers, will give you the best sense of security there is.

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Modern businesses live and function in the virtual world, so losing data can be like losing the core of your company. Most owners know they should have backups of their files. What many don’t realize though, is that to be truly secure, your backup should not be kept in the same location that your business operates. Most of the scenarios that cause data loss could easily wipe out both your primary storage and backup if they are both in the same location. To truly know your business data is safe, off-site storage is essential.

Natural Disasters

You may have flood, fire, and tornado insurance, but what would happen to all of your irreplaceable business data in the event of a natural disaster? Your server in the next room, unfortunately, would not be immune should a force of nature destroy your company’s computers. Having an off-site data back-up, ideally at least 20 miles away, would allow you to pick up and continue operations much more quickly than starting from scratch. With natural extremes like hurricanes and floods increasing each year, keeping data back-ups in another location is a no-brainer.

Man-Made Problems

Modern businesses must be prepared for disasters caused by other humans, including terrorist attacks. If an attack happens, the one and only priority should be getting personnel to a safe place. Remove the worry of losing valuable digital information by already having an off-site backup in place.

Another man-made problem that many business owners don’t like to think about is the possibility of sabotage. It might be difficult to imagine one of your valued employees becoming disgruntled, but unfortunately, intentional data destruction does happen. Having an off-site backup would keep a vindictive employee from permanently causing damage to your business.

How to Set Up Off-Site Backups

With cloud technology, off-site data back-ups are fairly easy to set up. The majority of cloud providers offer automatic back-ups that they keep on their servers, away from your office. Automatic back-ups are highly recommended, as it takes human error and simply forgetting to update out of the equation.

At the bare minimum, your back-ups should be stored in a different building. Ideally, keep them far enough away that something like a terrorist attack or tornado wouldn’t affect both you and the back-up location. Don’t neglect the security of something as invaluable as your business’s digital files.

Are you a business owner that has recently started to wonder if you should have your computers backed up? If you have enough client and project information that it would be a big setback to lose it all, now is the time to start looking at backup options. Data loss is expensive and stressful. It’s important to choose the best backup solution for your business’s needs, so let’s start with the basics: using DIY backup vs. a cloud provider.

Time it Takes to Recover Lost Data

If you suffered a major data loss, how long would you be willing wait to for your restored data? If your answer is anything other than a few minutes, DIY backup is not for you. With a cloud provider, a phone call or email is all it takes to have your entire network’s data restored. With DIY, depending on the system you are using, it can take days or even weeks to get your data restored! It is a tedious and time-consuming process to restore a computer when you don’t know exactly what you are doing. This lag time is why many users opt to use a professional cloud provider for their backup solutions.

The Factor of Human Error

We all like to think that we and our employees are error-free, efficient workers. The truth of the matter is though, humans are incredibly error prone. The danger with DIY backup is that you bring the factor of human error back into the equation. Humans can forget to update your backup regularly, make an error while creating the backup and damage/lose data, or could even accidentally delete the entire backup.

A cloud provider will set up an automated system to regularly update your backup; no human necessary. Cloud providers have tried and true systems in place to both protect, and maintain, backed up data to keep it free of corrupted files and away from human mistakes.

Peace of Mind

Managing a backup system yourself can be a stressful task. There is the process of figuring out which type of backup is best for you, deciding how often to run the backup, making sure the backups are done correctly, and then there’s the unknown of it actually working to restore your lost data should anything happen.

By using a cloud backup provider, all of that stress and work is the responsibility of someone else. Cloud providers manage and protect your backup files 24/7. They have the technology to back up data properly and securely and do regular checks to make sure the backups are healthy and can be easily recalled should need be. This is why many businesses leave their backup solutions to the professionals.

Cost

When it comes to DIY backup vs. cloud providers, you would be surprised to learn that a cloud provider is, in fact, often less expensive than an in-house solution. With DIY backup, you must purchase the hardware for a backup and likely hire IT personnel to set it up and manage it. On the other hand, the backup services that cloud providers offer have a monthly fee that covers all hardware costs and time spent by personnel to update your backup and maintain it. Any unpredictable costs (like hardware needing to be replaced or running updates) are taken care of by the cloud provider; you only pay a consistent monthly fee for the service.

DIY Backup vs. Cloud Provider

If you are looking for a low stress, reliable way to backup your business’s data, using a cloud provider is the way to go. By setting up a cloud backup system with a provider, a monthly fee gets you hardware, round-the-clock support, and most of all, peace of mind. Should you suffer a data loss, your cloud provider has your back. Save yourself the headache of trying to set up a DIY solution and leave it to the professionals; your future self will thank you.

Did you know that 40% of companies without a data backup solution go out of business after they suffer a major data loss? Without a backup to call upon to restore the files on their computers, many businesses find it impossible to recover. If you haven’t already thought about a data backup solution for your business, don’t delay! Don’t let your company become a cautionary tale!

Why Do Businesses Need a Backup Solution?

The hard truth of it is, data loss happens. Whether it be human error, technical failure, natural disaster, or even a hack, businesses suffer major data losses every day.

Losing data on a personal device is frustrating, but losing business data can be completely devastating. Imagine if you woke up tomorrow and had no client information, lost all your leads, and every project you’ve ever worked on had vanished too. How would you pick up and carry on? As the statistic mentioned before tells us, many businesses cannot.

Cloud Backup

The backup method of choice for many businesses is cloud backup, and here’s why: it is by far the easiest and most reliable form of data backup for business owners.

The reason cloud backup is so easy for businesses, is that you can set it up with a cloud provider and, essentially, forget about it. For a monthly fee, the cloud provider will run continuous backups without you needing to remember to do anything. As long as you pay your bill, all of your business’s data will always be there. Should a data loss happen, all your information is waiting to be restored, exactly as it was.

Cloud backup’s popularity is also due to that fact that it is incredibly reliable. You do not need to worry about keeping an external hard drive or server in your location with IT staff hired to maintain it. The cloud provider manages the security and updates of your data for you. The cloud, believe it or not, is actually more secure than a traditional network. Not only are you a lot less likely to get hacked, but should the unexpected happen, you now have an off-site copy of all your data ready to be restored.

Why Use a Cloud Backup Provider vs. DIY

The benefits of going with a cloud provider for your backup solution vs. using a DIY solution are staggering. When you rely on yourself or an employee to create backups, you bring the factor of human error back into the equation. With a service provider, the backups are set to be updated regularly by an automated system. Unfortunately, humans are far less reliable than automation, and often forget to make the updates or do so incorrectly and can end up inadvertently corrupting and leaving out important files.

With a DIY solution, you can forget about the idea of restoring your system immediately after a data loss. Most DIY recovery takes days, or even weeks, to restore. On the other hand, a cloud service provider takes mere minutes to restore all of your lost files. Can your business operate for weeks without any of your past data or client information? Don’t wait until a loss happens to find out!

How Cloud Backup Works

For users, cloud backup is a “set it up and forget about it” type of system. How it works is, the cloud provider takes “snap shots” of your desktop, your files, and all data on a regular basis. Via the internet, that information is sent to the cloud provider’s servers where it is stored. On an on-going basis, a new snap shot is taken, and sent over to update the old snap shot. There is nothing that the business owner needs to remember to do or worry about managing.

Should a data loss happen, the business owner simply needs to get in touch with their cloud provider and request that their data be restored. It’s as simple as that.

What Is the Best Solution for Business Data Backup?

There is a reason that almost every business these days is using cloud backup. It is easy to manage and is unequivocally reliable. What are you waiting for? Set up cloud backup today.

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Small businesses are often run lean – no room for unnecessary costs, no luxury of extended vacations, and definitely no space in the budget for lost time and revenue due to data loss. No matter the size of your business, a professional backup solution will save you from disaster when a data loss happens. Whether it be a cyber attack, natural disaster, system failure, or even human error, having a backup to call upon when you need it most will allow to pick your business right back up and continue where you left off.

Minimize Losses When the Unexpected Happens

Did you know that over 40% of businesses without a backup solution go out of business when a major data loss happens? Losing years of digital infrastructure and client information is too much for many businesses to recover from.

There may have been a time when huge losses due to cyber attack or natural disaster seemed unlikely to ever happen to you. In recent years though, both events have become more common and the horrendous after-effects have been highly publicized. Using a professional backup solution can save you the hit to your image and wallet that these data losses cause.

Keep Client Data Safe

Having a breach of client information is often reputation ruining. Using a professional backup solution will prevent personal and financial information from getting into the wrong hands. A backup company will not only store a backup of your data but will work around the clock to keep the backup system updated and protected from security breaches. The threat of a hack or cyber attack is probably what comes to mind when you think about having client data stolen, but unfortunately, internal breaches happen often and are more difficult to prepare against. With a professional backup solution, you can limit access to sensitive files to a need-to-know basis.

Prevents Loss Due to Human or System Error

Everyone makes mistakes – humans and computers alike. Don’t allow an accidental deletion or system crash to put you in a panic-inducing situation. If your data is backed up, all it takes to get that lost information back is the click of a button and is accessible from any device.

Data losses due to error are not only stressful but cost businesses in lost revenue as well. When an employee, or entire department, loses access to their files it can take days to months to either fix the problem or attempt to replace the lost information. Most businesses can’t afford even a week of lost revenue. Prevent spiraling losses by always having your systems backed up.

Round the Clock System Management

Having a professional backup solution versus DIY means that there are people and resources devoted to keeping your data safe and maintained around the clock. You never need to remind yourself to run a backup and don’t have to worry about the safety and security of your backed-up data. A professional backup solutions business has staff and cutting-edge technology devoted to keeping your data safe and updating your backups consistently. Not to mention, it will cut down on your personnel and equipment needs too.

Professional Backup Solution

Still on the fence about if you need a professional backup solution for your small business? Try a free trial for 30 days – see how simple it can be to free yourself from the nagging feeling that your data could be at risk at any moment.

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